state v. biros - supreme court of ohio · police informed appellant that he was not under arrest...
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The State of Ohio, Appellee and Cross-Appellant, v. Biros, Appellant and
Cross-Appellee.
[Cite as State v. Biros (1997), ___ Ohio St.3d ___.]
Criminal law -- Aggravated murder -- Death penalty upheld, when.
(No. 96-423 -- Submitted January 22, 1997 -- Decided May 14, 1997.)
APPEAL and CROSS-APPEAL1 from the Court of Appeals for Trumbull
County, No. 91-T-4632.
On Thursday, February 7, 1991, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Tami
Engstrom dropped off her one-year-old son, Casey, at her friend Sharon King’s
house before reporting to work at the Clover Bar in Hubbard, Ohio. Tami’s
mother, Mary Jane Heist, worked with Tami at the Clover Bar. Tami arrived at
work at 6:30 p.m. Later, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Tami had to leave work
due to illness. Heist relieved Tami so that she could go home early. However,
instead of going directly home, Tami drove to the Nickelodeon Lounge in
Masury, Ohio, to visit her uncle, Daniel Hivner, who was a regular patron at
that tavern. Tami arrived at the Nickelodeon at approximately 10:00 p.m. She
was wearing a black leather coat, a sweater, black pants, black shoes, black
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stockings or socks, and a $1,200 diamond cluster ring she had purchased from
King a few weeks earlier. She was also carrying a small gray purse which,
according to one witness, contained a significant amount of money.
At the Nickelodeon, Tami had several drinks and spoke with Hivner and
others. Kenneth Biros, appellant, arrived at the Nickelodeon at approximately
11:00 p.m., having earlier participated in a drinking event sponsored by the
Nickelodeon and other bars. Appellant knew Hivner but was a stranger to
Tami. By midnight, Tami had passed out, due to either sickness or
intoxication, while seated at a table. She later fell off her chair and onto the
floor. Hivner and appellant helped Tami back into her seat. At approximately
1:00 a.m., when the bar was closing, appellant and Hivner assisted Tami
outside to the parking lot. Tami insisted on driving herself home, but Hivner
took Tami’s car keys upon determining that she was too intoxicated to drive.
According to Hivner, appellant then volunteered to take Tami for coffee to help
sober her up. Hivner handed Tami her purse and noticed that she was wearing
her leather coat. At approximately 1:15 a.m., appellant and Tami left the
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Nickelodeon in appellant’s car. Hivner remained at the bar after closing and
waited for appellant to return with Tami. However, appellant never returned
Tami to the Nickelodeon.
Meanwhile, on February 7, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Andy
Engstrom, Tami’s husband, went to the Clover Bar to deliver a gift he had
bought for Tami. However, Heist informed Andy that Tami had left work and
had gone home sick. Andy drove home and discovered that Tami was not
there. Andy then asked King to continue watching Casey while he went out to
search for Tami. At approximately 1:00 a.m., Andy spoke with Tami’s sister,
Debra Barr, who suggested that Tami might have gone to the Nickelodeon. At
1:10 a.m., Andy called the Nickelodeon and was told that Tami and Hivner had
already left the bar. Andy then went to sleep, assuming that Tami would soon
return home. When he awoke later that morning, he discovered that Tami was
still missing.
On Friday, February 8, 1991, at or about noon, Andy and King went to
the Nickelodeon to pick up Tami’s car, which had been left there overnight. At
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some point, Andy learned that appellant had been the last person seen with
Tami. Therefore, Andy drove to appellant’s home and confronted appellant
concerning Tami’s whereabouts. Appellant told Andy that after he and Tami
had left the Nickelodeon to get coffee, he tapped her on the shoulder and she
“freaked out, * * * got out of the car and started running through these people’s
yards on Davis Street” in Sharon, Pennsylvania. The location where appellant
claimed that Tami had jumped from the vehicle was approximately three-
tenths of a mile from the Nickelodeon. Andy told appellant that he had already
contacted the police in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and that he intended to file a
missing person’s report with the Brookfield Township (Ohio) Police
Department. Andy told appellant that “‘[i]f she [Tami] don’t turn up right fast,
they [the police] are going to come looking for you, and it’s going to be your
ass.’”
Throughout the day on Friday, February 8, appellant told a number of
witnesses similar stories concerning Tami’s disappearance. Specifically, he
told Tami’s mother, Tami’s brother, Tami’s uncles, her friends, acquaintances,
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and others, that after he had left the Nickelodeon with Tami, she woke up,
became frightened, jumped from his vehicle and ran between houses near
Carpenter’s Towing or Carpenter’s Garage on Davis Street in Sharon,
Pennsylvania. Appellant also indicated that he had initially chased after Tami
but that he had been unable to catch her. Appellant told a number of these
witnesses that he had abandoned the chase to avoid being caught while driving
under the influence of alcohol. Several of the witnesses noticed fresh cuts or
scratches on appellant’s hands and a fresh wound over his right eye that had
not been present the night before. Appellant explained that he had cut his
hands because he had been locked out of his house and had to break a window,
and that he had obtained the cut above his eye while chopping wood. Tami’s
brother threatened to kill appellant if Tami had been hurt in any way. One of
Tami’s uncles told appellant that if Tami had been hurt, he would “rip
[appellant’s] heart out.” Tami’s mother told appellant, “if you put one scratch
on my daughter, I will * * * kill you.” Appellant tried to comfort Heist by
telling her, “Don’t worry. Your daughter is going to be just fine. You wait and
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see.” On Friday evening, appellant helped Tami’s relatives search the area in
Sharon, Pennsylvania, where he claimed to have last seen Tami.
Appellant lived on King Graves Road in Brookfield Township, Ohio,
with his mother, Jo Anne Biros, and his brother, Cury Biros. On Friday
morning, February 8, appellant’s mother found a gold ring on the bathroom
floor. The next day, she asked appellant if he knew anything about the ring.
Appellant claimed to know nothing about it. Appellant told his mother that the
ring appeared to be made of “cheap gold.” When appellant’s mother responded
that the ring was not cheap, appellant suggested that perhaps it had belonged to
the girl who jumped out of his car early Friday morning. Appellant then took
the ring and said that he would return it to the Nickelodeon. However,
appellant never returned Tami’s ring to the Nickelodeon. Rather, according to
appellant, he hid the ring in the ceiling of his house.
On Friday night, Cury Biros was at home watching television while
appellant was outside in a pasture behind the house. Cury went outside and
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called to appellant to see what he was doing. Appellant responded that he was
“watching stars.” Cury then returned to the house and retired for the evening.
On Saturday, February 9, Tami’s family and friends spent hours
searching for Tami in Sharon, Pennsylvania. They also searched a wooded area
along the railroad tracks near appellant’s home on King Graves Road.
However, the search party was unable to uncover any clues concerning Tami’s
disappearance.
On Saturday afternoon, police called appellant’s home and left a message
requesting that he come to the police station for questioning. After receiving
the message, appellant drove to the police station to discuss Tami’s
disappearance with Brookfield Township and Sharon, Pennsylvania police
officers. Police informed appellant that he was not under arrest and that he was
free to leave at any time. During questioning, appellant reiterated the same
basic story that he had previously told Tami’s friends and relatives.
Specifically, appellant told police that he had left the Nickelodeon with Tami in
the early morning hours of February 8 to get coffee or food at some location in
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Sharon, Pennsylvania. Appellant claimed that Tami had passed out in his
vehicle after they left the Nickelodeon. Appellant told police that he stopped at
an automated teller machine to withdraw some money and, at that point, Tami
woke up and insisted that appellant drive her back to the Nickelodeon.
Appellant told police that as he was driving on Davis Street in Sharon,
Pennsylvania, Tami jumped from the vehicle and ran away. When asked
whether Tami’s purse might have been left in his vehicle, appellant responded
that he had thoroughly cleaned the vehicle and had found no purse.
At some point during the interview, Captain John Klaric of the Sharon
Police Department began questioning appellant’s version of the story. Klaric
suggested to appellant that perhaps he (appellant) had made some sexual
advance toward Tami which, in turn, may have caused her to jump from the
vehicle. Appellant denied making any sexual advances. Klaric also suggested
that perhaps appellant had made some sexual advance and that Tami had
jumped from the car and struck her head. Appellant denied this as well. Upon
further questioning, Klaric suggested that maybe an accident had occurred in
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which Tami had fallen out of the car and struck her head. At that point,
appellant responded “yes,” and admitted that he had done something “very
bad.” Klaric offered to speak with appellant alone. Appellant agreed, and
indicated that he wanted to speak with Klaric outside the presence of other
police officers. According to Klaric, after the other officers had left the room,
appellant stated, “It’s like you said, we were in the car together. We were out
along the railroad tracks. I touched her on the hand. Then I went further. I
either touched or felt her leg. She pushed my hand away. The car wasn’t quite
stopped. She opened the door and fell and struck her head on the tracks.”
Appellant told Klaric that Tami was dead and that the incident had occurred
along the railroad tracks near King Graves Road in Brookfield Township. At
that time, police informed appellant of his Miranda rights. See Miranda v.
Arizona (1966), 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694.
After signing a written waiver of his Miranda rights, appellant repeated
his story in the presence of Detective Rocky Fonce of the Brookfield Township
Police Department. According to Fonce, appellant admitted that he had
10
reached out and grabbed Tami while parked along the railroad tracks near his
house on King Graves Road. Appellant told Fonce that Tami had then jumped
out of the vehicle, fell, struck her head on the metal part of the railroad track,
and died. Appellant told police that Tami’s body was in Pennsylvania. When
police asked appellant for the precise location of the body, appellant requested
to speak with an attorney. After appellant consulted with counsel, he agreed to
show police the location of Tami’s body.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 10, 1991, Pennsylvania
and Ohio authorities discovered several of Tami’s severed body parts in a
desolate wooded area of Butler County, Pennsylvania. Police found other
portions of Tami’s body in a desolate wooded area of Venango County,
Pennsylvania, approximately thirty miles north of the Butler site. Tami’s head
and right breast had been severed from her torso. Her right leg had been
amputated just above the knee. The body was completely naked except for
what appeared to be remnants of black leg stockings that had been purposely
rolled down to the victim’s feet or ankles. The torso had been cut open and the
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abdominal cavity was partially eviscerated. The anus, rectum, and all but a
small portion of her sexual organs had been removed from the body and were
never recovered by police.
Forensic technicians, police and homicide investigators searched the area
of the railroad tracks near King Graves Road where appellant had indicated
that the incident with Tami occurred. There, investigators discovered a large
area of bloodstained gravel near the railroad tracks. Investigators also found
blood spatters on the side of one of the steel tracks. A number of other
bloodstains were found in the same general area. Bloodstains and swabbings
of blood collected at the scene were later tested and were found to be consistent
with Tami’s blood. Additionally, investigators found what appeared to be part
of the victim’s intestines in a swampy area near the railroad tracks. DNA
testing revealed that the intestines were, in fact, part of Tami’s remains.
Approximately one month later, police recovered Tami’s black leather coat,
which was found partially buried a short distance from the tracks. Two cuts or
slash marks were found on or near the collar of the coat. Tami’s house keys
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and a tube of lipstick were found in a shallow hole in close proximity to the
coat. Police also found one of Tami’s black leather shoes in the area of the
railroad tracks. Dale Laux, a forensic scientist with the Ohio Bureau of
Criminal Identification and Investigation, found a single pubic hair inside
Tami’s shoe. Laux determined that the microscopic characteristics of that hair
were consistent with the characteristics of known samples of Tami’s pubic hair.
Police also recovered a number of items during searches of appellant’s
residence. Investigators found a bloodstained pocket knife hidden in
appellant’s basement. A much larger knife was recovered from appellant’s
bathroom. Investigators also recovered a bloodstained coat from appellant’s
bedroom, which was later identified as the coat appellant had worn to the
Nickelodeon. Forensic experts found numerous bloodstains on the front of the
coat, and blood spatters inside the left sleeve. Bloodstains from appellant’s
pocket knife and coat were later tested and were found to be consistent with the
blood of the victim. Additionally, authorities removed a pair of size eleven
tennis shoes from a bedroom in appellant’s home. Rodney M. Cole, a forensic
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scientist in the trace evidence section of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal
Identification and Investigation, found a single hair embedded in a seam near
the tread of one shoe. Cole compared the hair to known samples of hair from
the victim’s head. According to Cole, the hair from the tennis shoe was
microscopically consistent with the known samples of hair from the victim’s
head.
The automobile appellant had driven to the Brookfield Township Police
Department was also searched. Forensic technicians found numerous
bloodstains consistent with the blood of the victim. Several other bloodstains
found in the vehicle were determined to be consistent with appellant’s blood.
A small piece of human tissue, believed to be Tami’s liver tissue, was found
inside the trunk.
Dr. William A. Cox, the Summit County Coroner, performed the autopsy
of Tami’s body. Cox testified that he was board certified in anatomic
pathology, clinical pathology, forensic pathology, and neuropathology. Cox
determined that the victim had suffered ninety-one premortem injuries which
14
were indicative of a “severe beating” and “an attempt at sexual mutilation.” He
also found five stab wounds that had been inflicted immediately after the
victim’s death. Among the premortem wounds were at least five blunt force
injuries on the top of the victim’s head which, according to Cox, had been
caused by an object such as fists or the handle of a knife. Other premortem
wounds were found on the victim’s breasts and in the area of her groin. Two
premortem knife wounds were discovered near the nipple of the right breast.
There were fine linear scratches and a premortem knife laceration or incised
wound along the victim’s face and, according to Cox, “[t]he way that is done is
the blade of the knife runs down across the mouth [and] finally gets into the
skin, into the soft tissues, then breaks the skin as it continues in the downward
direction.” Cox also found numerous wounds on the victim’s hands which
appeared to be “defensive” injuries.
In addition to the ninety-one premortem wounds and the five postmortem
stab wounds, Tami’s head, right breast and right lower extremity had been
severed from her body at some point after death. Her anus, rectum, urinary
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bladder, and virtually all of her sexual organs had been cut out and were never
found. The gallbladder, the right lobe of the liver, and portions of the bowels
had been extracted from her body. According to Cox, a pocket knife like the
one removed from appellant’s basement could have been used to inflict some
of the wounds found on Tami’s body. However, Cox found that a much larger
or heavier knife had been used to amputate Tami’s head and right lower
extremity. Cox testified that the victim’s right femur had been severed by a
sharp knife which had left a “fine linear cut” in the bone. Cox specifically
determined that the evidence indicated that the femur had not been fractured by
any blunt force trauma or as the result of an automobile accident. Cox testified
that the knife recovered from appellant’s bathroom was consistent with the type
of knife that had been used to accomplish the amputations. Cox found that the
dismemberment and eviscerations all occurred within minutes after the killer
had inflicted the five postmortem stab wounds. He found no evidence that the
victim had been struck by an automobile as appellant would later claim.
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With respect to Tami’s cause of death, Cox concluded that the victim had
died of asphyxia due to strangulation. According to Cox, the victim had been
strangled to death over a period of four to five minutes. The mucosal lining of
the esophagus was torn, indicating that there was a degree of retching and
vomiting during this period. Cox testified that, in his opinion, the victim had
not been asphyxiated by a hand placed over the nose and mouth. Examination
of the victim’s oral cavity revealed no signs of injury to the tongue or the
delicate tissue inside the mouth. Absent such injuries, Cox found no evidence
to support the theory that the victim had been forcibly suffocated as opposed to
being strangled to death. Further, the hyoid bone had been fractured and there
was injury to adjacent tissue, which supported the finding that the victim had
been strangled. According to Cox, Tami was severely beaten, strangled to
death, and then stabbed five times. The five postmortem stab wounds had
occurred within minutes after death. Later, but still within minutes, the
decedent’s body was dismembered.
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Dr. Theodore W. Soboslay, the Trumbull County Coroner, was present
during Tami’s autopsy. Soboslay concurred with Cox’s findings and officially
ruled that the decedent had expired “due to asphyxiation, secondary to
strangulation.”
Appellant was indicted by the Trumbull County Grand Jury for the
aggravated (felony) murder of Tami. Count One of the indictment charged
appellant with the purposeful killing of Tami during the commission of an
aggravated robbery and attempted rape in violation of R.C. 2903.01(B). Count
One of the indictment carried two R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) death penalty
specifications. The first specification alleged that appellant had purposefully
killed Tami while committing or fleeing immediately after committing an
aggravated robbery. The second alleged that appellant had purposefully killed
Tami while attempting to commit or while fleeing immediately after attempting
to commit rape. Count Two of the indictment charged appellant with felonious
sexual penetration in violation of former R.C. 2907.12(A)(2). Count Three of
the indictment charged appellant with abuse of a corpse in violation of R.C.
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2927.01(B). Appellant was also charged, in Counts Four and Five, with
aggravated robbery and attempted rape, respectively. Prior to trial, the state of
Ohio dismissed Count Three of the indictment which had charged a violation of
R.C. 2927.01(B). Thereafter, the matter proceeded to trial before a jury.
At trial, appellant testified in his own defense. Appellant claimed that
when the Nickelodeon Lounge was closing at 1:00 a.m., February 8, Hivner
asked appellant to take Tami for coffee or breakfast to help sober her up.
Appellant agreed and left the Nickelodeon with Tami. He then drove into
nearby Sharon, Pennsylvania, to withdraw cash from an automated teller
machine. At some point, appellant reached over and shook Tami, since she had
fallen asleep. Tami awoke and said that she wanted to go home. She told
appellant that her home was in Hubbard, Ohio, but would not say exactly where
she lived. Therefore, appellant decided to take Tami to his home to let her
“sleep it off.”
Appellant testified that he decided on his way home to drive along the
gravel railroad bed which would have taken him to within a few hundred feet
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of his residence on King Graves Road. While driving on the railroad bed, he
reached over and grabbed Tami’s hand to wake her. According to appellant,
Tami suddenly awoke, looked at him, and began yelling, “I don’t know you.
Where are we at?” She hit appellant and yelled at him. Appellant forcibly
struck Tami with his forearm. Tami then fled from the vehicle and took off
running along the railroad tracks. Appellant claimed that he drove along the
railroad tracks to try to head Tami off to speak with her. However, according
to appellant, he inadvertently struck Tami with the vehicle, causing her to
topple over the car at a forty-five degree angle with her head positioned toward
the gravel railroad bed. Appellant testified that he got out of the car and rolled
Tami over onto her back. She was bleeding and her head was positioned
against the steel rail of the railroad track. According to appellant, Tami pushed
him and began screaming, swearing, and throwing rocks. At that point,
appellant decided to pull out his pocket knife to “calm” Tami down. However,
Tami grabbed the knife and a struggle ensued. Appellant cut his hand, but was
able to regain control of the knife. Meanwhile, Tami continued to scream.
20
Therefore, according to appellant, he pinned Tami down and placed his hand
over her mouth until she stopped struggling. When appellant removed his hand
from Tami’s mouth, he realized that she had died. Appellant then became
upset and frustrated, so he stabbed her several times.
Appellant testified that after he had killed and stabbed Tami, he
“panicked,” drove home, tended to his wounds, and washed his clothes.
Appellant testified that he returned to the body fifteen to twenty minutes later
and became very angry, believing that Tami had “just destroyed my life.” At
that point, appellant took his pocket knife and began cutting Tami’s body.
Appellant claimed that he removed Tami’s clothes because they were “in the
way.” Next, according to appellant, he dragged the body some distance into
the woods, and felt Tami’s ring cutting into his left hand. Thus, he removed
the ring and placed it in his pocket. Appellant testified that he attempted to
bury Tami’s body in a shallow hole in the ground, but that the body would not
fit into the hole. Therefore, he amputated the head and leg with his pocket
knife and placed those body parts in a separate hole. Appellant then placed
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Tami’s clothes in other holes in the ground. After burying the body, appellant
returned home.
Appellant testified that later on Friday morning, February 8, 1991, he
found Tami’s purse in his car and burned the purse in the fireplace. He then
washed his car. On Friday night, appellant decided to move the body, since he
had been confronted and threatened by Tami’s relatives. Late that night, while
his brother (Cury Biros) was watching television, appellant retrieved Tami’s
body parts, loaded them into the car, and drove to Pennsylvania and disposed
of the body.
Appellant lied to police, to Tami’s relatives, and to his own mother. At
trial, appellant denied telling police at the Brookfield Township Police
Department that while appellant and Tami were seated in the car, appellant had
placed his hand on Tami’s hand and then “went further” and touched or felt her
leg. Appellant denied having had any sexual intentions toward Tami, but
admitted cutting out her vagina and rectum thirty to forty-five minutes after he
killed her. Appellant was able to recall some of the most minute details of the
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night in question, but was unable to remember where he had disposed of
Tami’s anus, rectum, and sexual organs. He also denied having had any
intention of stealing Tami’s property, but he admitted burying her clothes,
taking her ring, and burning her purse. Additionally, appellant admitted lying
to his mother about Tami’s ring and later hiding that ring in the ceiling of his
house. Appellant testified that he had no intention to kill or harm Tami on the
night in question. He testified further that he never struck Tami with his fists
or with the blunt end of a knife.
Dr. Karle Williams, a forensic pathologist, testified for the defense.
Williams was not present during Tami’s autopsy and never personally
examined the body. Williams based his opinions upon a review of, among
other things, Dr. Cox’s autopsy report and a review of numerous photographs
of the victim and the crime scene. Williams disagreed, at least in part, with
Cox’s conclusion that Tami had suffered a severe beating. Williams believed
that perhaps Tami’s right leg had been fractured before death and that some of
her injuries may have been caused by being struck by a car and falling or lying
23
on the gravel railroad bed. Additionally, Williams concluded that Tami may
have died due to suffocation rather than manual strangulation. However,
Williams admitted on cross-examination that, in this case, “you have to think of
manual strangulation. Absolutely.”
The jury found appellant guilty of all charges and specifications alleged
in the indictment, with the exception of the offense charged in Count Three of
the indictment which had previously been dismissed by the prosecution.
Following a mitigation hearing, the jury recommended that appellant be
sentenced to death for the aggravated murder of Tami. The trial court accepted
the jury’s recommendation and sentenced appellant to death. For the remaining
offenses, appellant was sentenced in accordance with law.
On appeal, the court of appeals found that “[t]he record is completely
devoid of evidence which would support a finding that appellant formed the
intent to rob the victim prior to or during the acts which resulted in her death.”
On this basis, the court of appeals, relying on State v. Williams (Mar. 24, 1995),
Trumbull App. No. 89-T-4210, unreported, 1995 WL 237092, affirmed in part
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and reversed in part (1996), 74 Ohio St.3d 569, 660 N.E.2d 724, held that the
evidence was insufficient to prove aggravated robbery as one of the underlying
felonies for the felony-murder charge in Count One of the indictment. Further,
the court of appeals found that the trial court had erred in submitting to the
jury, in the penalty phase, the R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) aggravating circumstance
that the murder was committed in the course of an aggravated robbery.
Nevertheless, the court of appeals upheld the sentence of death, finding that the
remaining R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) aggravating circumstance outweighed the
mitigating factors beyond a reasonable doubt. In addition to affirming
appellant’s aggravated murder conviction (with attempted rape as the
underlying felony) and death sentence, the court of appeals also affirmed
appellant’s other convictions, including the convictions on Counts Four and
Five of the indictment for aggravated robbery and attempted rape, respectively.
The cause is now before this court upon an appeal as of right and the
state’s cross-appeal.
25
Dennis Watkins, Trumbull County Prosecuting Attorney, Patrick F.
McCarthy and Deborah L. Smith, Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys, for appellee
and cross-appellant.
David L. Doughten and Robert A. Dixon, for appellant and cross-
appellee.
DOUGLAS, J. Appellant presents twelve propositions of law for our
consideration. Additionally, the state of Ohio has filed a cross-appeal
challenging the court of appeals’ findings of insufficiency of proof that the
murder was committed while appellant was committing or while fleeing
immediately after committing aggravated robbery. We have considered all of
the propositions of law raised by the parties and have independently reviewed
appellant’s death sentence for appropriateness and proportionality. Upon
review, and for the reasons that follow, we reverse the judgment of the court of
appeals on the matters raised in the state’s cross-appeal, affirm the judgment of
the court of appeals in all other respects, and uphold the sentence of death.
I
26
In his first proposition of law, appellant contends that he is not
statutorily eligible for the death penalty because the specifications of
aggravating circumstances alleged in the indictment omitted the language from
R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) that “either the offender was the principal offender in the
commission of the aggravated murder or, if not the principal offender,
committed the aggravated murder with prior calculation and design.”
Appellant contends that the omission of this language from the specifications
of aggravating circumstances set forth in his indictment rendered that
indictment “insufficient to sustain a capital charge.” We do not agree.
Initially, we note that appellant never objected at any time before or
during his trial that the R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) specifications of aggravating
circumstances were allegedly defective on the basis that they omitted an
allegation either that appellant was the principal offender in the commission of
the aggravated murder or, if not the principal offender, that he had committed
the offense with prior calculation and design. Consequently, appellant’s failure
to timely object to the allegedly defective indictment constitutes a waiver of the
27
issues involved. State v. Joseph (1995), 73 Ohio St.3d 450, 455, 653 N.E.2d
285, 291. See, also, State v. Mills (1992), 62 Ohio St.3d 357, 363, 582 N.E.2d
972, 980 (“Under Crim.R. 12[B] and 12[G], alleged defects in an indictment
must be asserted before trial or they are waived.”). Accordingly, our
discretionary review of the alleged error must proceed, if at all, under the plain
error analysis of Crim.R. 52(B). Plain error does not exist unless it can be said
that but for the error, the outcome of the trial would clearly have been
otherwise. Joseph at 455, 653 N.E.2d at 291. See, also, State v. Moreland
(1990), 50 Ohio St.3d 58, 62, 552 N.E.2d 894, 899.
Turning to the merits, we find that our recent decision in Joseph, 73
Ohio St.3d 450, 653 N.E.2d 285, is dispositive of appellant’s contentions. In
Joseph, Richard E. Joseph and Jose Bulerin were jointly indicted for the
aggravated (felony) murder of Ryan Young. The indictment contained an R.C.
2929.04(A)(7) death penalty specification alleging that Joseph and Bulerin had
committed the aggravated murder during the course of a kidnapping, and that
the offenders were the principal offenders in the commission of the kidnapping.
28
In Joseph, we found that the specification failed to correspond with the
language of R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) because the specification should have
indicated that the offenders were the principal offenders in the commission of
the aggravated murder. Id. at 455, 653 N.E.2d at 291. However, we found
that the error did not render the indictment invalid, since the record clearly
demonstrated that Joseph “had sufficient notice that he was being tried as a
principal offender in the commission of the aggravated murder of Ryan Young
while committing kidnapping.” Id. at 455-456, 653 N.E.2d at 291. In Joseph,
we went on to explain and hold that:
“The penalty for aggravated murder is life imprisonment or death. R.C.
2929.02. If the state desires to seek the death penalty for a defendant who
commits aggravated murder, the indictment charging the offense must contain
at least one of eight specifications enumerated in R.C. 2929.04(A)(1) through
(8). R.C. 2929.04(A) provides: ‘Imposition of the death penalty is precluded,
unless one or more of the following is specified in the indictment or the count
of the indictment pursuant to section 2941.14 of the Revised Code and proved
29
beyond a reasonable doubt.’ That section then sets out eight different
aggravating circumstances.
“The form of the specification is governed by R.C. 2941.14(C), which
requires that the aggravating circumstance ‘may be stated in the words of the
subdivision in which it appears, or in words sufficient to give the accused
notice of the same.’ Thus, the language of the statute clearly provides that the
specification is sufficient if the accused knows which subsection, or which
aggravating circumstance of the eight listed in R.C. 2929.04(A) has been
alleged.
“While the specification in the present case contained a technical error,
we cannot find that this error rendered the indictment invalid, as the correct
language of the specification was clearly ascertainable to appellant. The
indictment’s aggravated-felony-murder count and specification recited an
obvious and undeniable reference to R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) (the felony murder
specification) as the capital specification * * *. The indictment informed
appellant of all elements comprising the capital offense of aggravated murder
30
under R.C. 2901.03(B) [sic, 2903.01(B)], as the exact language of that section
containing all the elements for that offense was correctly recited in the single
count of the indictment. Following the count set forth in the indictment and
pursuant to R.C. 2941.14, a capital specification was included, which stated
verbatim the relevant language of R.C. 2929.04(A)(7), except for the
substitutional error in the last word of the specification. However, appellant
certainly had sufficient notice from the wording of the specification that the
aggravating circumstance set forth in R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) was being alleged.
In fact, appellant, his attorneys, the prosecutor, and the trial judge treated the
indictment as valid at all stages of the proceedings, never noticing any flaw in
the indictment. Thus, the record demonstrates that the wording of the
specification was sufficient to give appellant notice that the state was required
to prove that he was a principal offender in the commission of the aggravated
murder of Ryan Young pursuant to the specification contained in R.C.
2929.04(A)(7).
31
“Furthermore, appellant has not shown that he was prejudiced in the
defense of his case from this substitutional error or that he would have
proceeded differently had this error been corrected. Indeed, had the error been
discovered, it was properly subject to amendment. Crim.R. 7(D).” Joseph, 73
Ohio St.3d at 456-457, 653 N.E.2d at 291-292.
In the case at bar, Count One of the indictment charged appellant with
the aggravated (felony) murder of Tami Engstrom. The single count of
aggravated murder carried two R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) death penalty
specifications. The two specifications of aggravating circumstances expressly
referred to R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) and stated, respectively, that “KENNETH
BIROS committed the offense at bar [aggravated murder] while he was
committing or fleeing immediately after committing Aggravated Robbery” and
“KENNETH BIROS committed the offense at bar [aggravated murder] while
he was attempting to commit or fleeing immediately after attempting to commit
Rape.” The specifications did not expressly track the language of R.C.
2929.04(A)(7), since there was no specific allegation that appellant was the
32
“principal offender” in the aggravated murder or that he had committed the
offense with prior calculation and design. However, notwithstanding that
omission, the indictment clearly provided appellant with adequate notice of the
death penalty specifications with which he was being charged. The record
clearly demonstrates that at all stages of the proceedings, appellant understood
that he was being prosecuted for having personally killed Tami Engstrom
during the course of an aggravated robbery and attempted rape. Appellant,
defense counsel, the prosecution and the trial court treated the indictment as
valid throughout the proceedings without noticing any defect in the
specifications of aggravating circumstances. Moreover, appellant was indicted
and tried on the basis that he had acted alone in the killing, without any
accomplices. He was the only individual accused of killing Tami Engstrom
and, as the only offender, appellant was, ipso facto, the “principal offender.”
Based upon the rationale and holdings in Joseph, we reject appellant’s
arguments concerning the sufficiency of the indictment.
33
In this proposition, appellant also contends that the trial court erred by
failing to instruct the jury that appellant must be found to be the principal
offender of the aggravated murder offense to be found guilty of the R.C.
2929.04(A)(7) death penalty specifications. Additionally, appellant protests
that the verdict forms failed to reflect that the jury found appellant to be the
principal offender. However, appellant failed to object to the absence of the
term “principal offender” in the jury instructions and verdict forms. Thus,
these issues have been waived. Further, there is absolutely no evidence in this
case to suggest that the aggravated murder of Tami Engstrom involved more
than one offender. Indeed, appellant even admitted at trial that he had acted
alone in causing the death of his victim. Thus, appellant was either the
principal offender in the commission of the aggravated murder, or he
committed no aggravated murder offense at all. We find that, under these
circumstances, the omission of R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) “principal offender”
language in the jury instructions and verdict forms was not outcome-
34
determinative. Accord State v. Bonnell (1991), 61 Ohio St.3d 179, 184, 573
N.E.2d 1082, 1087.
Additionally, with respect to the charges in connection with Count One
of the indictment, appellant argues that “[b]ecause the verdict forms failed to
state the ‘degree’ (capital offense) of the charge or the additional elements,
‘principal’ or ‘prior calculation or design,’ the verdict constituted a finding of
the ‘least degree’ of the offense charged, i.e. aggravated murder without
specifications.” Here, the jury returned a guilty verdict on Count One of the
indictment, and the verdict clearly reflects that the charge upon which the
verdict was returned was “aggravated murder.” As the court of appeals
recognized, “aggravated murder” is the degree of the offense with which
appellant was charged in Count One of the indictment. See R.C. 2901.02(A).
Separate verdict forms were also returned for each of the two specifications of
aggravating circumstances in connection with Count One. Therefore, we reject
appellant’s contentions that the verdict forms are somehow defective for failing
to state the degree of the offense charged.
35
Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, appellant’s first proposition of
law is not well taken.
II
Prior to trial, appellant filed a motion to suppress the incriminating
statements he had made to police during his February 9, 1991 interview at the
Brookfield Township Police Department. The trial court denied appellant’s
motion to suppress. In his second proposition of law, appellant contends that
the trial court committed reversible error in denying the motion since,
according to appellant, his statements to police were obtained in violation of
Miranda, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694. Specifically, appellant
asserts that he was subjected to “custodial interrogation” before police advised
him of his Miranda rights. We disagree.
In Miranda, the United States Supreme Court held that:
“[T]he prosecution may not use statements, whether exculpatory or
inculpatory, stemming from custodial interrogation of the defendant unless it
demonstrates the use of procedural safeguards effective to secure the privilege
36
against self-incrimination. By custodial interrogation, we mean questioning
initiated by law enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody
or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way. As for
the procedural safeguards to be employed, unless other fully effective means
are devised to inform accused persons of their right of silence and to assure a
continuous opportunity to exercise it, the following measures are required.
Prior to any questioning, the person must be warned that he has a right to
remain silent, that any statement he does make may be used as evidence against
him, and that he has a right to the presence of an attorney, either retained or
appointed. The defendant may waive effectuation of these rights, provided the
waiver is made voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently. If, however, he
indicates in any manner and at any stage of the process that he wishes to
consult with an attorney before speaking there can be no questioning.
Likewise, if the individual is alone and indicates in any manner that he does not
wish to be interrogated, the police may not question him. The mere fact that he
may have answered some questions or volunteered some statements on his own
37
does not deprive him of the right to refrain from answering any further
inquiries until he has consulted with an attorney and thereafter consents to be
questioned.” (Emphasis added and footnote omitted.) Id. at 444-445, 86 S.Ct.
at 1612, 16 L.Ed.2d at 706-707.
Police are not required to administer Miranda warnings to everyone
whom they question. Oregon v. Mathiason (1977), 429 U.S. 492, 495, 97 S.Ct.
711, 714, 50 L.Ed.2d 714, 719. “Nor is the requirement of warnings to be
imposed simply because the questioning takes place in the station house, or
because the questioned person is one whom the police suspect.” Id. Only
custodial interrogation triggers the need for Miranda warnings. Id. at 494, 97
S.Ct. at 713, 50 L.Ed.2d at 719. See, also, Berkemer v. McCarty (1984), 468
U.S. 420, 440-442, 104 S.Ct. 3138, 3150-3152, 82 L.Ed.2d 317, 335-336. The
determination whether a custodial interrogation has occurred requires an
inquiry into “how a reasonable man in the suspect’s position would have
understood his situation.” Berkemer at 442, 104 S.Ct. at 3151, 82 L.Ed.2d at
336. “[T]he ultimate inquiry is simply whether there is a ‘formal arrest or
38
restraint on freedom of movement’ of the degree associated with a formal
arrest.” California v. Beheler (1983), 463 U.S. 1121, 1125, 103 S.Ct. 3517,
3520, 77 L.Ed.2d 1275, 1279. See, also, State v. Barnes (1986), 25 Ohio St.3d
203, 207, 25 OBR 266, 270, 495 N.E.2d 922, 925.
The following matters were elicited at the hearing on appellant’s motion
to suppress. On Saturday, February 9, 1991, Lieutenant Frank Murphy of the
Brookfield Township Police Department left a message on appellant’s
answering machine asking appellant to come to the police station to discuss the
disappearance of Tami Engstrom. Police wanted to speak with appellant
because he had been the last person to have seen Tami before her
disappearance. Subsequently, Murphy asked Officer Marchio of the
Brookfield Township Police Department to drive to appellant’s residence to see
whether appellant was home and to ask appellant to come to the police station.
While en route to appellant’s residence, Officer Marchio passed appellant on
King Graves Road. Appellant informed Marchio that he was on his way to the
police station. Appellant then continued on his way to the station, apparently
39
unaccompanied by Marchio. After arriving at the station, appellant was taken
to a small room for questioning. Appellant was informed that he was not under
arrest and that he could leave at any time. During questioning, appellant
eventually revealed to Captain John Klaric of the Sharon Police Department
that something bad had happened and that Tami had died. Klaric then notified
Detective Rocky Fonce of the Brookfield Township Police Department and
Fonce advised appellant of his Miranda rights. At that time, appellant
acknowledged that he understood his rights and he agreed to waive them.
Appellant then once again repeated his version of how Tami had died. He also
stated that Tami’s body was located in Pennsylvania. When police asked
appellant to reveal the exact location of the body, appellant did not respond.
Instead, appellant stated that he wanted to speak with an attorney. After
conferring with counsel, appellant, his attorney, and the police reached an
agreement whereby appellant voluntarily disclosed the exact location of Tami’s
body.
40
Appellant argues that he was subjected to custodial interrogation from
the beginning of his interview with police since, according to appellant, a
reasonable person in his situation would have considered himself to be “in
custody.” To support this argument, appellant protests that “[o]fficers did not
wait for [appellant] to voluntarily respond to their invitation [to come to the
police station] but rather sent a car to look for him.” Appellant also asserts that
a custodial interrogation occurred because (1) “he was crowded into a small
interrogation room with three officers,” (2) he was asked to explain
inconsistencies in his statements, (3) Klaric questioned appellant using
interview techniques whereby he suggested certain scenarios that might have
occurred between appellant and Tami Engstrom, (4) appellant was asked to
take a polygraph test, and (5) police told appellant that he would feel better if
he “got it out.”
The trial court denied appellant’s motion to suppress on the basis that the
interview conducted by the police did not constitute a custodial interrogation.
The trial court found that appellant “came to the [station] voluntarily in his own
41
vehicle. The evidence revealed he was not placed under arrest, booked,
photographed, or fingerprinted.” Further, the trial court found that appellant
“was taken to an interview room and interviewed * * *. [Police] not only
advised Defendant that he was not under arrest, but also that he could get up
and leave at any time. This Court finds that the interview of Defendant did not
constitute a custodial interrogation as outlined in Oregon v. Mathiason (1977),
429 U.S. 492.”
We find that the trial court did not err in reaching this conclusion.
Officer Marchio was asked to go to appellant’s residence merely to request that
appellant come to the police station. Before Marchio actually arrived at
appellant’s residence, appellant was already voluntarily on his way to the
station in his own vehicle. At the time, Tami was simply a missing person and
appellant was the last individual known to have seen her. At the station,
appellant was taken to an interview room and the door was not closed.
Appellant was specifically advised that he was not under arrest and that he was
free to leave at any time. During questioning, appellant eventually admitted
42
that he was with Tami when she died. Appellant was never forced or
compelled to respond to the questions posed by police. Clearly, appellant was
not in custody at the time he admitted his involvement in Tami’s death. There
is absolutely no evidence to indicate that appellant was under arrest or that
police imposed any restraint on his freedom of movement. Further, appellant
was promptly advised of his Miranda rights when he admitted involvement in
the death of Tami Engstrom.
Appellant also contends that he was pressured by police to reveal the
location of the body after he had requested to speak with an attorney. We
disagree. When police asked appellant for the precise location of Tami’s body,
appellant requested to speak with an attorney. At that point, Detective Fonce
terminated his interview with appellant. Appellant was also told by Captain
Klaric that he would not be asked any further questions. Klaric then
commented that appellant had “done the right thing” and that Tami’s family
deserved to know the location of the body. However, appellant was asked no
further questions and Klaric’s comment elicited no response from appellant.
43
After consulting with counsel, appellant voluntarily revealed the exact location
of Tami’s body.
We find no violation of Miranda on the facts of this case. Appellant was
not in custody at the time he admitted his involvement in Tami’s death. When
appellant finally admitted involvement, he was properly advised of his
Miranda rights. After appellant requested to speak with his attorney, all further
questioning ceased. Thereafter, appellant voluntarily agreed to reveal the
location of the victim’s body. Thus, we reject appellant’s assertions that the
trial court erred in denying the motion to suppress.
Accordingly, appellant’s second proposition of law is not well taken.
III
In his third proposition of law, appellant argues that certain statements
made by the trial court and by counsel during voir dire violated R.C.
2929.03(B). Specifically, appellant contends that “the trial court in the present
case instructed numerous jurors, and allowed the attorneys to also instruct the
jurors that a finding of guilt on at least one of the two specifications was
44
necessary before the appellant could face the possibility of the death penalty.”
However, appellant did not object to these statements at trial and, thus, his
arguments have been waived. See State v. Campbell (1994), 69 Ohio St.3d 38,
40-41, 630 N.E.2d 339, 344. Additionally, as noted by the court of appeals,
“appellant’s counsel engaged in questioning of the potential jurors which was
substantially similar to that questioning to which he now objects.” Obviously,
appellant cannot take advantage of an error he invited or induced. See State v.
Seiber (1990), 56 Ohio St.3d 4, 17, 564 N.E.2d 408, 422.
In any event, we find no reversible error. Here, appellant points to
several instances during voir dire in which prospective jurors were informed of
the possibility of a mitigation hearing in the event appellant was found guilty of
aggravated murder and at least one of the specifications of aggravating
circumstances. Appellant claims that discussing such matters with prospective
jurors violates R.C. 2929.03(B), which provides that, in a capital case, the trial
court’s instructions to the jury “shall not mention the penalty that may be the
consequence of a guilty or not guilty verdict on any charge or specification.”
45
However, “R.C. 2929.03(B) applies to the guilt phase of the bifurcated trial,
directing that during such phase the jury shall not be permitted to consider a
possible penalty.” State v. Jester (1987), 32 Ohio St.3d 147, 154, 512 N.E.2d
962, 970. Nothing in the statute indicates that it was intended to apply to voir
dire. Further, as was the case in Jester, to apply R.C. 2929.03(B) in a manner
suggested by appellant would needlessly complicate or render impossible the
already difficult process of “death-qualifying” a jury. Id.
Appellant has failed to demonstrate the existence of any error rising to
the level of plain error, and, accordingly, we reject appellant’s third proposition
of law.
IV
In his fourth proposition of law, appellant argues that the trial court erred
by allowing the prosecution to peremptorily challenge two prospective jurors
who expressed or indicated some aversion to the death penalty. However, we
have held that “apart from excluding jurors based on race or gender,
‘prosecutors can exercise a peremptory challenge for any reason, without
46
inquiry, and without a court’s control.’” State v. Ballew (1996), 76 Ohio St.3d
244, 253, 667 N.E.2d 369, 379. Therefore, appellant’s fourth proposition of
law is not well taken.
V
In his fifth proposition of law, appellant argues that the trial court abused
its discretion by admitting into evidence nineteen gruesome photographic
projection slides and five enlarged (approximately twelve by eighteen inches)
gruesome photographs. Appellant contends that the photographs and slides
were repetitive and cumulative in number, and that the prejudicial impact of the
evidence far exceeded its probative value. Additionally, appellant contends
that the photographs had been enlarged solely to inflame the passions of the
jury. We find no merit to appellant’s contentions.
Under Evid.R. 403 and 611(A), the admission of photographs is left to
the sound discretion of the trial court. State v. Landrum (1990), 53 Ohio St.3d
107, 121, 559 N.E.2d 710, 726. In State v. Maurer (1984), 15 Ohio St.3d 239,
15 OBR 379, 473 N.E.2d 768, paragraph seven of the syllabus, we held that
47
“[p]roperly authenticated photographs, even if gruesome, are admissible in a
capital prosecution if relevant and of probative value in assisting the trier of
fact to determine the issues or are illustrative of testimony and other evidence,
as long as the danger of material prejudice to a defendant is outweighed by
their probative value and the photographs are not repetitive or cumulative in
number.” See, also, State v. Morales (1987), 32 Ohio St.3d 252, 258, 513
N.E.2d 267, 273-274. Further, gruesome photographic projection slides of a
victim are not per se inadmissible. See, generally, State v. Thompson (1987),
33 Ohio St.3d 1, 9, 514 N.E.2d 407, 415-416; and Joseph, 73 Ohio St.3d at
460, 653 N.E.2d at 294. Nor does size alone automatically increase the
prejudicial aspect of the photographic evidence in question. See, generally,
State v. Gumm (1995), 73 Ohio St.3d 413, 425, 653 N.E.2d 253, 265; and State
v. DePew (1988), 38 Ohio St.3d 275, 282, 528 N.E.2d 542, 551.
In the case at bar, the jury viewed nineteen autopsy slides which were
projected on a screen during the testimony of Dr. William Cox, the Summit
County Coroner. Virtually all of the slides showed the victim’s body and body
48
parts and were, in fact, gruesome. The slides were used to illustrate Dr. Cox’s
testimony and corroborated his conclusions that, among other things, the victim
had been severely beaten and that there had been an attempt at sexual
mutilation.
Nevertheless, appellant would have us believe that there were no
contested issues concerning the cause and manner of the victim’s death and that
the photographs and slides had absolutely no relevance to any factual matters at
issue. However, the record belies appellant’s assertions in this regard.
At trial, appellant admitted causing the victim’s death, but claimed that
he had simply placed his hand over the victim’s mouth and had accidentally
killed her. The testimony of Dr. Karle Williams, the defense pathologist,
discounted some of the state’s evidence of a severe beating, and appellant
testified that he never struck Tami with his fists or with the blunt end of a
knife. The defensive wounds and the numerous lacerations, abrasions,
avulsions, and contusions depicted in the slides and photographs supported
Cox’s testimony. Specifically, the wounds depicted in the slides, combined
49
with Cox’s expert testimony, confirmed that the victim had been severely
beaten. Appellant also testified that he had cut apart Tami’s body in a blind
rage, using only a pocket knife. Conversely, the slides and photographs
demonstrate relatively meticulous incisions, particularly in the area where
appellant had removed, among other things, the victim’s vagina. Cox testified
that a second and much larger knife had been used in the amputations, and the
slides and photographs helped prove that point. Cox found no evidence that
the victim had been struck by a car. Appellant claimed that he had
inadvertently struck Tami with his car. Williams testified that the victim may
have been struck by a car and concluded that the victim’s leg may have been
fractured prior to death. Cox found that the victim had died from strangulation.
Williams believed that the victim may have been suffocated -- not strangled.
The suffocation theory tended to support appellant’s claims of an accident.
Again, the slides and photographs supported Cox’s conclusions that the
victim’s death was no accident. Additionally, Cox found signs of an attempt at
50
sexual mutilation. Appellant, who stood accused of attempted rape, denied any
sexual intentions toward Tami.
Upon review of the photographic evidence and the events at trial, we
find that the wounds depicted in the slides and photographs were probative of
contested issues of intent, purpose, motive, and the cause, manner and
circumstances of the victim’s death. Although gruesome, the photographic
evidence of the victim’s body and body parts was highly probative, and the
value of that evidence clearly outweighed the danger of unfair prejudice.
Moreover, before allowing the jury to view the slides, the trial court had
reviewed in camera thirty-one autopsy slides that had been offered by the
prosecution. The record is clear that the trial court carefully examined each
slide and entertained arguments by the prosecution and defense regarding the
repetitive nature of some slides. Only nineteen of the thirty-one slides were
shown to the jury. We agree with the court of appeals’ finding that the slides
were neither repetitive nor cumulative and that, in fact, “[t]he number of slides
[was] kept to a minimum in relation to the factual issues in dispute.” As to the
51
five enlarged photographs, the court of appeals held, the state concedes, and we
agree, that these five photographs were repetitive of some slides. However,
these photographs were admitted into evidence as substitutes for the slides, and
were made available to the jury for use during deliberations in lieu of the slides.
Further, the trial court’s charge to the jury at the conclusion of the guilt phase
included a cautionary instruction informing the jury that “these photos are
introduced in order to show you what has been described as premortem and
postmortem injury. These photos are introduced for this purpose and this
purpose only.”
In addition, we find nothing in the record to support appellant’s
contentions that the photographic evidence at issue had been enlarged to
inflame the passions of the jury. There is nothing in the record to suggest that
the prosecution intended to inflame the jury or that the passions of the jury
became inflamed as a result of the evidence. Indeed, the record is clear that the
prosecution exercised extreme care with respect to the exhibits offered into
52
evidence and that the trial court exercised sound discretion in deciding which
exhibits to admit.
For the foregoing reasons, we find that the trial court did not abuse its
discretion in admitting the slides and photographs into evidence. Accordingly,
we reject appellant’s fifth proposition of law.
VI
In his sixth proposition of law, appellant contends that the evidence was
insufficient to support a finding of attempted rape. On this basis, appellant
seeks reversal of his attempted rape conviction as well as the finding of guilt on
the R.C. 2929.04(A)(7) specification that the killing had occurred while
appellant was committing attempted rape. In reviewing the sufficiency of
evidence, “the relevant question is whether, after viewing the evidence in the
light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have
found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.”
(Emphasis sic.) Jackson v. Virginia (1979), 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781,
2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560, 573.
53
Appellant relies on State v. Heinish (1990), 50 Ohio St.3d 231, 553
N.E.2d 1026, to support his claim that the evidence in the present case is
legally insufficient to sustain a finding of attempted rape. In Heinish, a
majority of this court reversed an aggravated murder conviction on the basis
that the state had failed to adduce sufficient proof of attempted rape, which was
the only felony underlying the aggravated murder charge considered in that
case. Id. at 238-239 and 241, 553 N.E.2d at 1034-1035 and 1037. In Heinish,
the victim was found with her jeans partially unzipped and pulled partially
down from her waist. Her blouse was partially up from the waist. She was
wearing no underwear and no shoes. A saliva stain which could have come
from the defendant was found on the outside of the victim’s jeans. The
majority in Heinish concluded that these facts were legally insufficient to
sustain Heinish’s attempted rape conviction. Id. at 238-239, 553 N.E.2d at
1034-1035. Appellant suggests that the evidence of attempted rape in Heinish
was even more compelling than the evidence of the attempted rape in the case
at bar.
54
Conversely, the state contends, and we agree, that the evidence of
attempted rape in the case at bar (1) far exceeds the evidence of attempted rape
in Heinish, (2) is even more compelling than the facts and circumstances found
sufficient to support a rape and aggravated murder conviction in State v. Durr
(1991), 58 Ohio St.3d 86, 568 N.E.2d 674, and (3) is at least as compelling as
the evidence found sufficient to support an attempted rape and aggravated
murder conviction in State v. Scudder (1994), 71 Ohio St.3d 263, 643 N.E.2d
524.
In Durr, 58 Ohio St.3d at 93, 568 N.E.2d at 682, a majority of this court
upheld Durr’s rape conviction and rejected a claim of insufficiency of proof,
stating:
“In this case, the prosecution presented highly probative circumstantial
evidence. Except for a pair of tennis shoes, the victim’s body was found nude
from the waist down. In addition, Deborah Mullins testified that when she saw
Angel [the victim] tied up in the back of appellant’s car, appellant informed
Deborah that he was going to kill Angel because she would tell. Based upon
55
these facts, we believe that there was sufficient probative evidence from which
a rational trier of fact could have found the appellant guilty of rape beyond a
reasonable doubt.”
It is important to note that Durr was decided after Heinish had been
decided. Additionally, both Heinish and Durr were decided under the former
rule that convictions based solely on circumstantial evidence may be sustained
only where the evidence excluded all reasonable hypotheses of innocence. In
State v. Jenks (1991), 61 Ohio St.3d 259, 574 N.E.2d 492, we abandoned that
former rule and held that “[c]ircumstantial evidence and direct evidence
inherently possess the same probative value and therefore should be subjected
to the same standard of proof.” Id. at paragraph one of the syllabus.
More recently, we unanimously held, in Scudder, 71 Ohio St.3d at 274-
275, 643 N.E.2d at 533, that the following facts and circumstances were
“clearly sufficient” to support a finding of attempted rape:
“[A]ppellant [Scudder] suggests that the evidence was insufficient to
support a finding of attempted rape. We disagree. Appellant’s sexual interest
56
in Tina [the victim] was apparent. The evidence indicated that appellant
desperately wanted to be alone with Tina. Tina was found with her pants at her
ankles and her panties at midthigh. The evidence indicated that Tina had been
forcibly undressed. The killer had apparently raked his fingers over Tina’s
stomach and downward toward the pubic region. Bloody hand marks were
found on Tina’s thighs, indicating that the killer had tried to force Tina’s legs
apart. Appellant’s blood was found on Tina’s body and clothing. A drop of
appellant’s blood had apparently dripped onto Tina’s face while she was still
alive, and while appellant was standing directly above her. This evidence was
clearly sufficient for a reasonable jury to conclude that appellant attempted to
rape Tina.” (Emphasis added.)
The evidence of attempted rape in the case at bar is at least as compelling
as the evidence of the attempted rape in Scudder. Here, there was an
abundance of highly probative evidence which, if believed, was sufficient for
any rational trier of fact to have found that appellant attempted to rape Tami
beyond a reasonable doubt.
57
By his own admission, appellant drove Tami to a secluded area near his
home while she was sleeping and without her consent. There was evidence that
appellant told Captain John Klaric that while he and Tami were seated in the
car, appellant reached over and touched Tami’s hand and then “went further”
and either touched or felt her leg. Appellant told Detective Rocky Fonce that
he had reached over and grabbed Tami in the car. Appellant testified that he
did not make any sexual advances toward Tami and that he never told police he
had attempted to go “further” with her. However, the credibility of the
witnesses was a matter for the jury to determine. This jury apparently
disbelieved much of appellant’s testimony concerning the events leading up to
and culminating in the victim’s death.
Tami was found completely unclothed except for remnants of black leg
stockings which appeared to have been forcibly rolled down to her feet or
ankles. When police recovered Tami’s leather coat, there were two discernible
cut marks on or near the collar. No other cut marks were noted anywhere else
on the garment. The medical evidence established that Tami had been stabbed
58
five times within minutes after her death. Some of the stab wounds were
located in the area of the chest and abdomen. According to appellant, Tami
was fully clothed at the time he inflicted the postmortem stab wounds.
However, the absence of any coinciding punctures in the material of Tami’s
coat supports the inference that the coat had been removed at some earlier point
during the attack. Tami’s sweater, pants, and undergarments were never found,
and appellant’s concealment or destruction of this and other evidence can be
viewed as suggestive of appellant’s consciousness of guilt. Evidence was
presented which, if accepted, revealed that Tami had been severely beaten and
strangled by appellant and that there had been an attempt at sexual mutilation.
A knife had been run down across Tami’s mouth. There were two premortem
knife wounds near the nipple of the right breast. There were other premortem
injuries to the breasts and in the area of the groin. The anus, rectum, right
breast, and virtually all of the sexual organs had been removed from the torso
within minutes after death. Appellant was able to lead police to the various
locations of Tami’s dismembered body parts but, for some reason, he claimed
59
not to recall what he had done with the anus, rectum, vagina, and sexual
organs. A reasonable inference to be derived from the evisceration of Tami’s
sexual organs is that appellant was attempting to conceal evidence of rape or
attempted rape. As the court of appeals so ably recognized, “[the] facts evince
lasciviousness and, further, the evisceration of the sexual organs is suggestive
of concealment of consummated purpose.”
Viewing the evidence and the reasonable inferences to be derived
therefrom in a light most favorable to the prosecution, we find that the evidence
of record was clearly sufficient for a rational jury to conclude beyond a
reasonable doubt that appellant purposefully killed Tami during the
commission of an attempted rape. Accordingly, we reject appellant’s sixth
proposition of law.
VII
In his seventh proposition of law, appellant contends that the evidence
was insufficient to sustain his conviction for aggravated robbery and the R.C.
2929.04(A)(7) specification premised on aggravated robbery because,
60
according to appellant, he never had any intention to steal Tami’s property (the
diamond ring) until after he had killed her. The court of appeals agreed, in
part, holding that although the evidence was sufficient to sustain appellant’s
conviction for aggravated robbery, the aggravated robbery could not serve as
one of the underlying felonies for the felony-murder charge and that the trial
court had erred in submitting to the jury, in the penalty phase, the R.C.
2929.04(A)(7) aggravating circumstance that the murder was committed during
the course of the aggravated robbery. In reaching its conclusions concerning
the insufficiency of proof, the court of appeals relied on the fact that there was
no evidence to demonstrate that appellant had “formed the intent to rob the
victim prior to or during the acts which resulted in her death.” Specifically, the
court of appeals apparently construed the term “while,” as that term appears in
R.C. 2903.01(B) and 2929.04(A)(7), as requiring proof that appellant intended
to rob Tami at the time he killed her.
The state agrees with the court of appeals’ determination that there was
sufficient evidence to sustain appellant’s conviction for aggravated robbery,
61
but vehemently disagrees with the court of appeals’ remaining conclusions
outlined above. The state’s sole proposition of law on cross-appeal reads:
“Under both R.C. §2903.01(B) and R.C. §2929.04(A)(7), the evidence
need not establish that an offender formed an intent to commit an aggravated
robbery at or prior to the time he committed an aggravated murder in order to
support a conviction so long as the aggravated robbery was committed ‘while’
the offender was committing aggravated murder.”
The court of appeals’ findings of insufficiency of proof that the murder
was committed while appellant was committing or fleeing immediately after
committing aggravated robbery were based upon that court’s reliance upon its
earlier decision in Williams, Trumbull App. No. 89-T-4210, unreported, 1995
WL 237092, which has since been reversed in relevant part. See State v.
Williams (1996), 74 Ohio St.3d 569, 660 N.E.2d 724. In our decision in
Williams at 576-578, 660 N.E.2d at 732-733, we specifically rejected any
notion that R.C. 2903.01(B) and 2929.04(A)(7) require proof that the offender
formed the intent to commit the pertinent underlying felony before or during
62
the commission of the acts which resulted in the murder victim’s death. We
held that: “Neither the felony-murder statute nor Ohio case law requires the
intent to commit a felony to precede the murder in order to find a defendant
guilty of a felony-murder specification.” Id. at paragraph one of the syllabus.
Further, in Williams, we stated that:
“This court has had occasion to explain the meaning of the word ‘while’
with respect to R.C. 2903.01(B), stating:
“‘“The term ‘while’ does not indicate * * * that the killing must occur at
the same instant as the [underlying felony], or that the killing must have been
caused by [it], but, rather, indicates that the killing must be directly associated
with the [underlying felony] as part of one continuous occurrence * * *.” * *
*’ State v. Cooey (1989), 46 Ohio St.3d 20, 23, 544 N.E.2d 895, 903, quoting
State v. Cooper (1977), 52 Ohio St.2d 163, 179-180, 6 O.O.3d 377, 386, 370
N.E.2d 725, 736.” Williams, 74 Ohio St.3d at 577, 660 N.E.2d at 733.
Here, appellant testified that fifteen to twenty minutes after he killed
Tami, he began cutting her body and removing her clothes. The medical
63
evidence confirmed that Tami had been eviscerated minutes after death. After
cutting the body, appellant dragged the corpse into the woods. According to
appellant, as he was dragging the body from the scene, he took Tami’s ring
from her finger and placed the ring in his pocket. Appellant claimed that he did
not intend to steal the ring. However, the fact that appellant took the ring gives
rise to the inference that he intended to keep it, and the fact that he intended to
keep the ring is supported by other inferences arising from his later activities
with regard to that property. After removing the ring from Tami’s finger,
appellant continued dragging the body through the woods until he arrived at his
intended location, severed the head and right lower extremity for ease of burial,
and buried the body.
Viewing the evidence and the reasonable inferences to be derived
therefrom in a light most favorable to the prosecution, it is clear that any
rational finder of fact could conclude that appellant committed an aggravated
robbery2 beyond a reasonable doubt. Even appellant’s own testimony was
sufficient to show the commission of an aggravated robbery offense.
64
Specifically, appellant knowingly obtained or exerted control over Tami’s ring
without her consent and, at least inferentially, with the purpose to deprive her
of that property. Thus, the evidence was sufficient to show that appellant
committed a “theft offense” as that term is defined in former R.C. 2913.01 (see
former R.C. 2913.02[A][1]) and that appellant had a deadly weapon on or
about his person or under his control the entire time. Former R.C. 2911.01(A).
Moreover, the evidence was indeed sufficient to support a finding that
the killing was “associated with” the aggravated robbery and the attempted
rape “as part of one continuous occurrence.” Williams, 74 Ohio St.3d at 577,
660 N.E.2d at 733. Evidence was presented which, if accepted, clearly shows
that appellant beat Tami, attempted to rape her, and strangled her to death.
Appellant’s testimony was that he began cutting Tami’s body after he killed
her, took her ring as he was dragging the body away, severed the head and leg,
and then buried Tami’s body parts. Thus, even by appellant’s own testimony,
his theft of the ring was associated with the killing as part of one continuous
occurrence. Appellant cannot escape the effect of the felony-murder rule by
65
claiming that the aggravated robbery was simply an afterthought. “[T]he
victim of an aggravated robbery, killed just prior to the robber’s carrying off
her property, is nonetheless the victim of an aggravated robbery. The victim
need not be alive at the time of asportation.” State v. Smith (1991), 61 Ohio
St.3d 284, 290, 574 N.E.2d 510, 516. Appellant’s intent to steal need not have
preceded the murder for purposes of R.C. 2903.01(B) and 2929.04(A)(7).
Williams, 74 Ohio St.3d 569, 660 N.E.2d 724.
Accordingly, we reject appellant’s seventh proposition of law and, in
accordance with our decision in Williams, we reverse the judgment of the court
of appeals with respect to the issues raised in the state’s cross-appeal.
VIII
Dale Laux, a forensic scientist with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal
Identification and Investigation, found blood spatters on the side of a steel
railroad track at the crime scene, blood spatters inside the left sleeve of
appellant’s coat, and two cut marks or defects on or near the collar of Tami’s
black leather coat. At trial, Laux was permitted to testify as an expert
66
concerning these and other matters. Laux testified that the blood spatters on
the rail of the track and the spatters inside the left sleeve of appellant’s coat
were “typical of” and “consistent with” a beating. He also testified that blood
spatters of the type found inside the left sleeve of appellant’s coat are typically
generated in a situation where the person wearing the coat holds down a victim
using the left hand while beating the victim with the right hand. Laux testified
further that Tami’s black leather coat had two cut marks (as opposed to tears)
on or near the collar. However, Laux was not permitted to render an expert
opinion as to how the cuts had occurred.
In his eighth proposition of law, appellant claims that although Laux is
an undisputed expert in the field of blood typing, he lacked proper
qualifications to render an expert opinion concerning blood-spatter evidence
and the fact that Tami’s jacket had been cut rather than torn. Appellant further
suggests that blood-spatter analysis is not a proper subject for expert testimony.
However, the admission of expert testimony is a matter committed to the sound
discretion of the trial court. See Williams, 74 Ohio St.3d at 576, 660 N.E.2d at
67
732. Further, we have indicated in a previous capital case that blood-spatter
analysis is indeed a proper subject for expert testimony. See Scudder, 71 Ohio
St.3d at 267-270 and 280, 643 N.E.2d at 528-530 and 537 (finding no abuse of
discretion in allowing testimony of an expert in blood-spatter analysis, and also
rejecting Scudder’s twenty-eighth proposition of law, which had alleged error
in the admission of expert opinion testimony in the area of blood-spatter
interpretation). Moreover, we note that although appellant generally objected
at trial to some of Laux’s conclusions concerning blood spatters, he never
specifically objected to Laux’s qualifications to render such opinions or
challenged blood-spatter analysis as a proper subject for expert testimony.
Appellant’s failure to object to Laux’s qualifications as an expert, and to blood-
spatter analysis as a proper subject for expert testimony, constitutes a waiver of
the issues involved. See Campbell, 69 Ohio St.3d at 40-41, 630 N.E.2d at 344.
In any event, “‘[u]nder Evid.R. 702, an expert may be qualified by
knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education to give an opinion which
will assist the jury to understand the evidence and determine a fact at issue.’”
68
(Emphasis sic.) State v. Wogenstahl (1996), 75 Ohio St.3d 344, 362, 662
N.E.2d 311, 325, citing State v. Beuke (1988), 38 Ohio St.3d 29, 43, 526
N.E.2d 274, 289. In the case at bar, Laux testified that he had over eleven
years’ experience as a forensic scientist with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal
Identification and Investigation. In that capacity, he has been involved in the
analysis of bloodstains, semen stains, and the examination and analysis of trace
evidence such as hairs and fibers. He has attended numerous training classes in
the areas of bloodstain and trace-evidence analysis at the Federal Bureau of
Investigation Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He has also attended classes in
bloodstain analysis at the Serological Research Institute in California. He has
attended numerous seminars and workshops in the areas of his expertise. He
holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree. During his
career, Laux has been involved in several thousand cases dealing with blood
analysis and trace evidence and has written several articles for scientific
journals regarding, among other things, bloodstain analysis. Laux testified that
he had taught a workshop in blood-spatter analysis and had generated spatters
69
of the type at issue in this case. Additionally, with respect to the cuts on the
collar of Tami’s coat, Laux had personally examined the garment. Laux
testified that he had evaluated cuts and marks on similar items during the
course of his work as a forensic scientist and that he had previously offered his
opinions on such matters in other cases.
We find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the
expert testimony in light of Laux’s extensive knowledge, experience, training,
and education as a forensic scientist. We also note, in passing, that the fact that
appellant severely beat Tami before he killed her was demonstrated by
overwhelming evidence at trial, with or without Laux’s expert testimony on the
subject of blood-spatter interpretation. Thus, it is clear that appellant cannot
demonstrate plain error with respect to Laux’s expert testimony that the blood
spatters found on the railroad track and the spatters of blood inside appellant’s
coat were consistent with a beating. Accordingly, we find no error, plain or
otherwise, and we reject appellant’s eighth proposition of law.
IX
70
In his ninth proposition of law, appellant complains of several instances
of alleged prosecutorial misconduct which, according to appellant, deprived
him of a fair trial. We disagree.
During the state’s opening argument in the guilt phase, the prosecutor
commented that the victim’s body had not been disturbed by animals prior to
being recovered by police. In the guilt phase, the prosecutor elicited testimony
from Pennsylvania State Trooper Daniel Keith Johnson that there were no signs
of animal bites on any of the body parts recovered from Pennsylvania. The
prosecutor also questioned Dr. Cox on this issue, and Cox noted that there was
no evidence that animals had tampered with the body.
Appellant argues that the prosecutor’s remark during opening arguments
was improper and inflammatory, and that Johnson’s testimony regarding
animal bites was “completely irrelevant.” We reject appellant’s arguments in
this regard. The prosecutor’s remark was not improper and was later
substantiated by testimony in the guilt phase. If the prosecutor had not negated
the possibility of damage by animals, appellant may have attempted to argue
71
that tampering by animals contributed to the condition of Tami’s body. The
testimony of Trooper Johnson and Dr. Cox was relevant to negate mutilation by
wildlife as a possible alternative source of damage to the body. Thus, we find
no prosecutorial misconduct with respect to the prosecutor’s remark and the
above testimony.
In this proposition of law, appellant also complains of four additional
instances of alleged prosecutorial misconduct that occurred during the guilt
phase. According to appellant, the following four instances of alleged
misconduct involved the improper introduction of victim-impact evidence in
the guilt phase and/or gave rise to matters that were “entirely irrelevant to the
guilt or innocence of [the] defendant.”
The first instance of alleged misconduct occurred during the prosecutor’s
cross-examination of appellant in the guilt phase when the prosecutor referred
to appellant’s initial failure to tell police the location of Tami’s body. The
prosecutor’s reference clearly did not constitute victim-impact evidence.
Further, the trial court sustained an objection to the prosecutor’s remark and
72
instructed the jury to disregard the statement. We presume that the jury
followed the trial court’s instruction in this regard. Thus, no prejudicial error
resulted from this single remark by the prosecutor.
The second instance of alleged misconduct also occurred during the
cross-examination of appellant. Specifically, the prosecutor asked appellant if
Tami had cried on the night in question and whether she had asked appellant to
“please stop.” Appellant failed to object to these questions and, thus, his
arguments have been waived. Further, we find that the prosecutor’s questions
were not improper. Appellant testified on direct examination that Tami had hit
him, yelled at him, and had thrown rocks at him. Appellant portrayed Tami as
the initial aggressor. Appellant claimed that he had acted merely to defend
himself from Tami, and that he had attempted to calm Tami down. However,
given Tami’s defensive injuries, the fact of her resistance was clear. The
prosecutor’s questions whether Tami had cried and had asked appellant to
“please stop” were relevant to the circumstances surrounding her death.
73
The third instance of alleged misconduct occurred when the prosecutor
asked appellant during cross-examination whether appellant had given any
thought to Tami, her family, or her friends while burying the body at the crime
scene. We find that the prosecutor’s question was improper and that it was
completely irrelevant to the issue of appellant’s guilt or innocence. However,
defense counsel immediately objected to the inquiry, and the jury was promptly
instructed to disregard the question. We presume that the jury followed the
trial court’s instruction in this regard. Moreover, it is clear to us that this
comment by the prosecutor did not operate to deny appellant a fair trial.
The fourth instance of alleged misconduct occurred when the prosecutor
commented during final closing arguments in the guilt phase that, unlike
appellant, Tami did not have the opportunity to testify. The trial court
sustained an objection to the prosecutor’s comment. Although the prosecutor’s
comment was improper, it tended to state a rather obvious fact of which
everyone was already aware. No prejudicial error resulted from this remark by
the prosecutor.
74
We find that the foregoing instances of alleged misconduct, taken singly
or together, did not substantially prejudice appellant or deny him a fair trial.
Indeed, we are in total agreement with the court of appeals that “[g]iven the
insubstantial nature of the errors, the corrective actions of the court, and the
weight of the evidence against appellant, it is clear beyond a reasonable doubt
that the prosecutor’s behavior did not have an effect on the outcome of the
trial.” Accordingly, appellant’s ninth proposition of law is not persuasive.
X
In his eleventh proposition of law, appellant claims that the trial court
erred in instructing the jury that the jury’s sentencing decision in the penalty
phase was a “recommendation.” Appellant also argues that certain remarks by
the prosecutor concerning the jury’s role in the sentencing process constitute
reversible error. However, the argument appellant now raises has been
considered and rejected by this court under analogous circumstances on a
number of previous occasions. See, e.g., State v. Woodard (1993), 68 Ohio
St.3d 70, 77, 623 N.E.2d 75, 80-81, and State v. Phillips (1995), 74 Ohio St.3d
75
72, 101, 656 N.E.2d 643, 669. As appellant presents no compelling argument
why we should now change our position on this issue, we reject appellant’s
eleventh proposition of law.
XI
In his tenth proposition of law, appellant contends that he was deprived
of the effective assistance of trial counsel. Appellant claims that counsel was
deficient for failing to object to the alleged errors that are the subject of his
first, third and eleventh propositions of law. However, with respect to these
propositions of law, we have found either no error or no prejudicial error.
Thus, we find that appellant has failed to meet his burden of establishing
ineffective assistance of counsel under the standards set forth in Strickland v.
Washington (1984), 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674.
Accordingly, we reject appellant’s tenth proposition of law.
XII
In his twelfth proposition of law, appellant argues that Ohio’s death
penalty scheme is unconstitutional. We have held, time and again, that Ohio’s
76
death penalty scheme is constitutional. As appellant presents us with no
compelling argument why we should now find Ohio’s death penalty statute to
be unconstitutional, we reject appellant’s twelfth proposition of law.
XIII
Having considered the propositions of law, we must now independently
review the death penalty for appropriateness and proportionality. Again, we
find that the two specifications of aggravating circumstances appellant was
found guilty of committing were proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
In mitigation, appellant presented the testimony of his mother,
grandmother, and two sisters. These witnesses testified concerning the difficult
circumstances surrounding appellant’s childhood. Testimony established that
throughout appellant’s childhood, Pete Biros, appellant’s father, was a
domineering and tyrannical man who treated his family as property. Pete Biros
belittled and berated his wife and children, showed them little or no affection,
and isolated them from family and friends. He was an extremely jealous man
who frequently accused Jo Anne Biros, appellant’s mother, of infidelity, and
77
oftentimes threatened to kill her and to commit suicide. Pete Biros died in
October 1983 from cirrhosis of the liver. Despite being raised in a household
with Pete Biros, appellant and his sisters, along with Jo Anne Biros, worked
steadily and succeeded in eventually graduating from college. Appellant’s
family members testified that appellant is a helpful, caring, and conscientious
individual with a “good heart.”
Dr. James Eisenberg, a psychologist, testified in mitigation. Eisenberg
first interviewed appellant in March 1991. Between that time and the time of
the mitigation hearing, Eisenberg interviewed appellant on several occasions,
performed psychological testing, reviewed appellant’s records, and interviewed
members of appellant’s family. Eisenberg noted that appellant had come from
an “extremely dysfunctional family,” and believed that appellant’s relationship
with his father had significantly affected his life and personality. Eisenberg
testified that while appellant was gutting and dismembering Tami’s body,
appellant was mentally reenacting scenes from when he hunted deer with his
father and would have to slaughter the kill while being told that he was
78
worthless and incompetent. Eisenberg diagnosed appellant as suffering from a
“schizoid personality disorder,” and from lifelong alcohol dependence and
neurotic depression. Eisenberg also testified that appellant had graduated from
college after having worked toward obtaining a degree for thirteen years.
According to Eisenberg, this indicates that appellant has been able to persevere
despite the trying circumstances of his youth. Further, Eisenberg noted that
appellant had been employed throughout most of his adult life, that appellant
had no significant history of prior criminal convictions, and that between
February 1991 and the time of trial, appellant had no reported problems in the
Trumbull County Jail. Prior to the offenses in the case at bar, appellant’s only
known criminal history consisted of one arrest for theft in 1977 and a 1986
conviction for either driving under the influence of alcohol or for reckless
operation of a motor vehicle. Eisenberg testified that appellant was not insane
at the time of trial or at the time of the killing.
On cross-examination, Eisenberg testified that appellant knows the
difference between right and wrong. Eisenberg also testified that, in his
79
opinion, the mitigating factor set forth in R.C. 2929.04(B)(3) is inapplicable in
this case. Therefore, Eisenberg admitted that, at the time of the killing,
appellant’s psychological conditions did not rise to the level of a mental
disease or defect that deprived appellant of a substantial capacity to appreciate
the criminality of his conduct or to conform to the requirements of law.
Finally, appellant gave an unsworn statement in which he admitted
responsibility for the death of Tami Engstrom “and what happened afterwards.”
Appellant apologized to the victim’s family and to his own family for what he
had done.
Upon a review of the evidence presented in mitigation, it is clear to us
that appellant had a troubled childhood. We find that appellant’s troubled
childhood, history, and family background are entitled to some, but very little,
weight in mitigation.
The nature and circumstances of the offense reveal nothing of any
mitigating value. The R.C. 2929.04(B)(1) and (2) mitigating factors are
inapplicable on the record before us, since there exists no credible evidence
80
that the victim induced or facilitated the murder (R.C. 2929.04[B][1]), and
there exists no credible evidence that appellant acted under duress, coercion, or
strong provocation (R.C. 2929.04[B][2]). Further, the R.C. 2929.04(B)(6)
mitigating factor is inapplicable, since appellant was the principal and only
offender.
The R.C. 2929.04(B)(3) mitigating factor was not established by a
preponderance of the evidence. Nevertheless, we find that appellant’s
personality disorder, lifelong alcohol dependence, and depression, as testified
to by Dr. Eisenberg, are collectively entitled to some, but very little, weight in
mitigation.
We have considered the R.C. 2929.04(B)(4) mitigating factor (youth of
the offender), but find that this factor is entitled to no weight in mitigation.
Appellant was thirty-two years of age at the time of the offense.
The record is clear that appellant lacks a significant history of prior
criminal convictions and delinquency adjudications. We find that this R.C.
2929.04(B)(5) mitigating factor is entitled to some weight in mitigation.
81
Additionally, we find that the evidence of appellant’s steady work record and
his achievement in obtaining a college degree after thirteen years of effort is
entitled to some, but very minimal, weight in mitigation. We assign little or no
weight to appellant’s unsworn statement wherein he apologized to the victim’s
family and to his own family and accepted responsibility for the death of Tami
Engstrom.
We have also considered whether this appellant might be capable of
long-term rehabilitation and ultimate reintegration into society after lengthy
incarceration, given his favorable work record, his college degree, and his lack
of a significant prior criminal history. However, the acts of sheer inhumanity
demonstrated by this appellant in the nature and circumstances of the offense
convince us that he is incapable of any meaningful rehabilitation. Additionally,
we have considered Eisenberg’s testimony that appellant did well in a
controlled institutionalized setting between the time of his arrest and the time
of trial. We assign this evidence little or no weight in mitigation.
82
Weighing the evidence presented in mitigation against the two R.C.
2929.04(A)(7) specifications of aggravating circumstances of which appellant
was found guilty, we find that the aggravating circumstances easily outweigh
the mitigating factors beyond a reasonable doubt. Indeed, even if, as appellant
suggests, there existed insufficient evidence to support a finding that the
murder occurred while appellant was committing or while fleeing immediately
after committing aggravated robbery (a proposition we have specifically
rejected but one that was accepted by the court of appeals), our conclusion
would remain the same. The court of appeals held, and we agree, that the
aggravating circumstance that the killing occurred while appellant was
attempting to commit or while fleeing immediately after attempting to commit
rape itself outweighs the mitigating factors beyond a reasonable doubt.
Finally, we have undertaken a comparison of the sentence imposed in
this case to those in which we have previously affirmed the death penalty. We
have previously upheld the death sentence in cases involving murder during the
course of an aggravated robbery (see, e.g., State v. Berry [1995], 72 Ohio St.3d
83
354, 650 N.E.2d 433; Woodard, 68 Ohio St.3d 70, 623 N.E.2d 75; State v.
Hawkins [1993], 66 Ohio St.3d 339, 612 N.E.2d 1227; and State v.
Montgomery [1991], 61 Ohio St.3d 410, 575 N.E.2d 167), in cases involving
murder during the commission of an attempted rape (see, e.g., Scudder, 71
Ohio St.3d 263, 643 N.E.2d 524), and in cases involving murder during the
commission of an aggravated robbery and rape (see, e.g., Smith, 61 Ohio St.3d
284, 574 N.E.2d 510). Appellant’s death sentence is neither excessive nor
disproportionate in comparison.
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the judgment of the court of appeals
in part and reverse it in part. Specifically, we affirm appellant’s convictions
and sentences, including the death sentence, but reverse the judgment of the
court of appeals on the issues raised in the cross-appeal.
Judgment affirmed in part
and reversed in part.
MOYER, C.J., RESNICK, F.E. SWEENEY, PFEIFER, COOK and
LUNDBERG STRATTON, JJ., concur.
84
FOOTNOTES:
1 The discretionary cross-appeal of the state of Ohio is hereby allowed.
2 At the time of the offense, former R.C. 2911.01 provided:
“(A) No person, in attempting or committing a theft offense, as defined
in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code, or in fleeing immediately after such
attempt or offense, shall do either of the following:
“(1) Have a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance, as defined in section
2923.11 of the Revised Code, on or about his person or under his control;
“(2) Inflict, or attempt to inflict serious physical harm on another.
“(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of aggravated robbery, an
aggravated felony of the first degree.” (Emphasis added.) 140 Ohio Laws, Part
I, 583, 590.